LG Display is about to flex its muscles (and bend, fold, and roll them too)

Sometimes cool tech isn’t met with the warmest of receptions. Smartwatches have yet to really take off, Google Glass went out of focus, and bendable displays are attracting an awful amount of ire. The latter is somewhat of a peculiar nature, as by all accounts, flexible screens should be all the rage. Yet, detractors are quick to label them a pointless, pricey gimmick when confronted with their pliable presence.

Samsung has already tried to win over gadget fans, first with 2013’s Korea-only Galaxy Round, and just last month with the Galaxy Note Edge. LG is also no stranger to the bendable wave, with last year’s G Flex, a phone that literally was bent (like a banana). Both companies have also tried their hand at flexible tech with the television market as well. Maybe the problem is that none of these products have been truly user-manipulable. Until now. Thanks to a visual feast at LG Display, we can see just what Korea’s other tech giant has in the pipeline:

As we can see by the above timeline, next year will see the debut of bendable displays, with 2017 having the foldable and rollable screens only hinted at in concept videos. The implications are immense; who wouldn’t want a tablet that could fold in half (or quarters) to become a smartphone? Devices like the ASUS Padfone become simply obsolete when literally one product can serve double duty. And rollable? Just imagine a digital poster or painting that can easily be curled up and stored or shared.

A large part of this plastic power comes from something LG is trying to hype up: Plastic OLED. This revolutionary new display technology, featured in the brand new G Watch R, is apparently much better than Glass OLEDS as they allow for a much thinner product. Take a look:

Those who follow Android Authority regularly will note that the past couple of weeks have seen more than a few displays of a flexible nature. It’s definitely a sign of some impressive things to come in the next few years and will most certainly usher in a new era of interaction.